Certain vehicles, for example recreational vehicles, are normally covered with protective covers during storage or when they are being towed by a vehicle. The covers provide protection against the elements of nature, such as protecting the colors from fading in the sunlight. The protective covers also keeps snow and dirt thrown from the towing vehicle from contacting the vehicle to prevent surface damage and corrosion of the metal parts.
Accordingly, many different types of covers for recreational vehicles are known, all of which generally provide protection for the vehicle during transportation or storage thereof. Conventionally, covers are designed to snugly fit over the particular vehicle to be covered. Each cover is designed for one vehicle design and thus either does not fit, or provides less protection when placed over another vehicle of different design, even when the two vehicles have similar designs.
Soft, lightweight covers are often used as they can easily be folded up and stored away when not in use. Such conventional covers generally comprise a large upper portion made of a nylon or similarly weatherproof material which is sized and fitted to slide overtop of the entire upper body portion of the vehicle. In the example of a snowmobile, the cover generally covers the forward fairings of the external shell and the seat portion. Typically, the wheels or skis and track of the vehicle are left uncovered by this type of cover, however the cover may alternatively cover one or more of these. A system of straps or attachments were used to keep the cover from blowing off the vehicle.
In some instances, the difference between two vehicle designs is the rear portion of the seat. For example, a first snowmobile could be designed for trail riding with a short seat designed to accommodate the driver alone. A second snowmobile could also be designed for trail riding but have an extended seat with a back rest designed to accommodate a driver and one or more passengers. The front portions of the snowmobiles are substantially the same, as well as the driver's area; they differ toward the rear of the vehicle only. As a result, two separate covers had to be manufactured and stocked in order to have at least one cover for each vehicle readily available. If either the manufacturer or the retailer wishes to have each cover available in different colours, or with optional features such as a vent, the problem is further exacerbated.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/671,694, filed Feb. 6, 2007, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, discloses a family of snowmobiles having engine compartments with the same configuration but tunnels of different widths. Therefore, these two snowmobiles with different tunnel widths each require a complete cover, separately designed to fit the contour of both the engine compartment and the tunnel portion of the respective snowmobile, even though their engine compartments have the same shape.
Other recreational vehicles, including ATVs or three-wheeled motorized vehicles such as the Spyder™ three-wheeled vehicle marketed by Bombardier Recreational Products Inc., may present the same problem. For example, a particular model of ATV or three-wheeled motorized vehicle may have a modular component rearward of the driver's seat that can accommodate either a passenger seat or a cargo rack. In each of the two configurations, the vehicle will require a separate cover designed to snugly fit the particular modular rear component.
As can be seen, manufacturers have to produce multiple covers corresponding to each model of vehicle in each of its available configurations, and dealers have had to maintain an inventory of the multiple covers, in order to have an appropriate cover readily available for purchase regardless of the particular vehicle configuration owned by the consumer. A vehicle cover requires a significant amount of material and occupies a significant amount of space even when folded for storage, and an entire cover must be manufactured and stored even when its shape differs from another cover in only one small part. Thus, while these multiple vehicle covers protect the vehicles and are convenient for the vehicle owner, the multiple required designs result in an increase in manufacturing costs and storage costs.
Therefore, there is a need for a vehicle cover having reduced manufacturing cost and occupying reduced storage space.